Harry Redknapp believes his Tottenham Hotspur team ought to be considered credible title contenders after he watched them beat Aston Villa 2-0 to maintain their impressive run of form.

Emmanuel Adebayor's goals brought up an eighth victory in nine Premier League matches and lifted the club into third place in the table, with a game in hand on all of their rivals.

Redknapp said the points and performance were the "best medicine" for him, upon his return to work after a near three-week absence following a heart operation. But he warmed to the theme that it was not outlandish to suggest that Tottenham could win what he believes is an even-matched league, even if he cautioned against expectation levels surging too wildly. Redknapp has said in the past that he feels there is "a title in this club".

"It is a possibility, it is not impossible," he said. "I don't want to say that we are going to win the league as everyone will get carried away. But it is not impossible for Liverpool or anyone. If you believe in yourself and keep winning games, you are going to do it. Man United won it last season as everyone fell over themselves. Everyone threw games away. I fancied Arsenal to win the league with nine games to go. We are on a real good run and, if we continue the form that we are in now, we will win the league, although that will be very difficult."

Tottenham are nine points behind the leaders, Manchester City, who beat them 5-1 at White Hart Lane at the beginning of the season but Redknapp suggested that Roberto Mancini's team were far from being champions-elect.

"You saw them at QPR and QPR could have beaten them," he said, of City's 3-2 win at Loftus Road at the start of the month. "Man City did very little and came away with a victory. I would not say that they are on a different planet to everyone else. They had a great result at Man United and here against us.

"They will not go through the season unbeaten. I don't think they are that good. They are a very good team and worthy favourites, they are above Man United at the moment but I would not say that they are certainties to win the league.

"The top six [strictly seven] is so tight. I don't think there's a lot between us. It's going to be very close. We've just got to keep it going. City beat us by five but that wouldn't happen again. We're a much different team to the one we put out that day."

Redknapp revelled in the displays of Adebayor and Gareth Bale and he had special praise for Luka Modric, who was once again impressive in central midfield. Redknapp repeated his call for the chairman, Daniel Levy, to resolve the Croat's contractual situation, which has festered since his proposed summer transfer to Chelsea was blocked.

Chelsea were prepared to more-than-triple the midfielder's wages and Redknapp feels Spurs need to make the gesture of a grand pay rise to him. He also said they had to keep players like Modric if they were to fulfil the grandest of dreams.

"It's more attractive if someone pays you £150,000 [per week] than if they pay you forty or fifty," he said. "I am sure that the chairman will look after him and do a new contract with him. If he is worth £40m, then he is worth good wages."

Not impossible but unlikely. A safe top four finish would be an excellent foundation to build on. If we make ourselves known in the champions league for 2 straight seasons and build our new stadium, then we can attract some top class players and maybe, dare i say it push for the title.